BY NATE KOTISSO | THE MONITOR
McALLEN — Five weeks have passed since the last time Laredo United and McAllen Memorial met on the basketball court. The Mustangs paid a visit to the Longhorns in Laredo on Nov. 21 and lost a tight game by two.
McAllen Memorial, the host of the three-day House of Pain tournament this week, had a shot at revenge against Laredo United in the Platinum Championship game. However, the Mustangs dropped another close one to the Longhorns 61-59 on Saturday afternoon.
“I’m extremely proud of the way the girls executed what we asked them to do today,” McAllen Memorial coach Clarisse Arredondo said. “We did have some turnovers that hurt us there late, but they fought hard until the end.”
When the teams first met last month, Laredo United (22-2) guard Natalia Trevino lit up McAllen Memorial for 30 points on 10 made baskets. The junior was once again a thorn in the Mustangs’ sides on Saturday, leading all scorers with 25 points on 10-of-13 shooting. Following Laredo United’s win, Trevino was named tournament MVP.
“They (Laredo United) have a phenomenal player in Natalia,” Arredondo said. “We tried to box her in and contain her, and she was still able to get 25 points. When you go against a player like that, it’s hard to come out with a victory.”
McAllen Memorial junior forward Valeria Trevino was a consistent offensive option early, scoring eight points in the first quarter despite suffering a gash under her right eye after a hard fall. She also played through an apparent head injury after jostling for a loose ball late in the fourth quarter.
Trevino finished with 10 points and 20 rebounds.
“I just had to focus on the game,” Trevino said. “I tried to not worry about what was happening with me. I had to get rebounds and get the ball out to our guards so they can run our plays. I can worry about the pain and exhaustion after the game.”
“Vale was a beast today,” Arredondo said. “Offensively, defensively and rebounding for us. Even when she went down, she’s not one of those kids where you have to go run out there and ask, ‘Are you OK?’ She’s one of those kids that says, ‘I’m going to suck it up and play.’ She was beat, because she left it all on the court. That’s why she was named as one of our all-tournament players.”
Junior guard Tani Talamantez and freshman guard Cori Talamantez led the Mustangs (15-10) with 13 points apiece.
“Coming back from break with no practices, we knew we had to play harder and push harder than we normally would,” Tani Talamantez said. “We’re continuing to develop, and we work really well together. No one came back sluggish at all, and that’s why we did well this week.”